Forest Whitaker And Eric Bana On The Big Screen In SA With ‘The Forgiven’

The long-awaited film, The Forgiven, is a fictionalised account of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s efforts as the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The drama follows Archbishop Desmond Tutu, masterfully portrayed by Forest Whitaker (Black Panther, Rogue One), and his struggle – morally and intellectually – with brutal murderer and member of a former apartheid-era hit squad, Piet Blomfeld (Eric Bana – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Lone Survivor), over redemption and forgiveness.

While it has been two decades since the TRC concluded, director Roland Joffé’s new film returns to that time to grapple with the terrible truths of apartheid and its legacy. The film opens at South African cinemas nationwide this Friday, 5 October, 2018.

THE FORGIVEN highlights Archbishop Tutu’s efforts to confront the atrocities of apartheid in an attempt to heal and unite South Africa. When Tutu receives a highly articulate letter pleading for clemency, written by the convicted murderer, he becomes intrigued enough to visit the prisoner in his cell; here the two men have a series of intense conversations about guilt and forgiveness.

The film will be shown at the following cinemas around the country:

Ster-Kinekor Tygervalley

Ster-Kinekor Blue Route

Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront

Ster-Kinekor Gateway

Ster-Kinekor Cedar Square

Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn

Ster-Kinekor Rosebank

Ster-Kinekor Cresta

Nu Metro Hyde Park

Nu Metro V&A Waterfront

Movies@Monte

Labia Orange Street

Based on Michael Ashton’s play, The Archbishop and the Antichrist (the playwright collaborated with Joffé on the screenplay), Joffé explains the reasoning behind the film: “This is a subject that’s both social and political but also rather personal, because let’s be honest, we’ve all done things in our lives that we need forgiveness for, that we haven’t come to terms with. We’re all prisoners of our history, whether it’s social, cultural or family.”

Two-time academy nominee Joffé has gained a reputation for hard-hitting political stories and THE FORGIVEN, like his 1984 cinematic breakthrough The Killing Fields, is cerebral and unflinchingly violent in its depiction of South Africa’s recent political history.

Academy Award winner Whitaker delivers a finely nuanced performance, conveying Tutu’s formidable inner strength, dignity and compassion. Having previously portrayed a South African in the film Zulu (2013), he already had an informed understanding of South Africa’s history, which he utilises to add depth and power to his performance as the Archbishop.

Despite being one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actors, Whitaker confessed that playing Tutu proved to be one of the biggest challenges of his career. “I knew his laugh, his sense of humour, how he felt, his passion, and his faith. But he has a graceful way in which he looks at the world. Trying to pull those things together, to capture the spirit of the man, was challenging.”

Bana, too, delivers a powerhouse performance, using his physicality and charisma to make a loathsome character suitably scary, but also very human.

“This is probably the most intimidating character I’ve ever played,” admits the Australian actor. “The key to the character, for me, was just throwing myself into South African history. There was so much that I needed to know, before I could stand any chance of understanding where Blomfeld’s warped sense of entitlement came from. It was just one of those roles where you have to really jump into the deep end, and trying to learn and understand a lot of the history was the first step.”

Produced by Craig Baumgarten and South African producing partner, Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat from Light and Dark Films, the film was shot completely in and around Cape Town, including at one of the world’s most dangerous prison facilities, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison. It also boasts strong performances by South African actors Jeff Gum, Morné Visser and Thandi Makhubele.

According to the producers, the story is poignant and timely. “It reminds us of Archbishop Tutu’s gift of forgiveness and the healing it brings, and we are honoured to tell this story.”

The Archbishop himself has given the project his blessing, saying: “This timely, compelling and intelligent film, movingly, and above all humanely, captures what it felt like to be working with those selfless members of the TRC who strove, often against the odds, to help bring both truth and reconciliation to the ordinary people of South Africa. The film is a tribute to the remarkable and healing power of forgiveness and the outstanding compassion and courage of those who offered love and forgiveness as an antidote to hate and inhumanity. This is not only a film about a certain time and place, it is a pean of hope to humanity at large.”

With potent acting, relevant social commentary, adept writing and direction, THE FORGIVEN is a powerful film, and the ultimate testament to the power of forgiveness and finding common ground in our humanity.

THE FORGIVEN was produced by international award-winning feature film and television production company Light and Dark Films. The film will be released in cinemas, nationwide, on 5 October 2018, and is distributed by Filmfinity (Pty) Ltd.

Published by Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB, Andrew has worked full time in the film industry since the early 2000's. He has trained as an actor, completing his LAMDA Gold Medal, and attending many courses in Cape Town acting studios, with masterclasses with some of the international industries top directors, producers and filmmakers.
Working as an actor and armourer in the film and television industry have given Andrew a great balance of skills across the board when it comes to the entertainment industry.
Catch him on Twitter: twitter.com/andrewgerm_za
And IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm5390453/
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